Ad Networks

NAI Welcomes Jurgen Van Staden to Support CEO and Growth

Jurgen Van Staden is currently the Counsel and Assistant Director of Policy at NAI, the leading self-regulatory association comprised exclusively of third-party digital advertising companies. Prior to joining NAI, Van Staden was Senior Privacy Consultant/Privacy Attorney at 2B Advice, LLC, where he advised European-Union based clients on data privacy and security requirements as well as U.S.-based clients on European-Union data protection requirements. The Makegood recently spoke with Van Staden about his newly created position at NAI.

The Makegood: Congratulations on your appointment to Counsel and Assistant Director of Policy at NAI. Why was this position created, and what will your role be?

Thank you. I’m very excited about joining such a great organization. My position was created to support our CEO and President Marc Groman and General Counsel and Vice President, Compliance and Policy Noga Rosenthal as well as our growing membership with both policy and compliance-related matters. As our membership continues to expand and the importance of self-regulatory principles becomes more widely understood internationally, my unique background as a registered legal and technical expert with EuroPriSe, a highly regarded European privacy seal for information technology products and services, will be of immediate value to NAI. In addition to working with Marc and Noga, I’ll be keeping the team apprised of global developments that may impact our self-regulatory program.

The Makegood: How will your previous experience benefit NAI?

After learning about networks and information security in law school, I began working in the computer security space as a risk analyst and information security consultant. Eventually, this led me to move to New York, where I worked with a European privacy consulting firm, helping organizations with their cross-border data transfers. In the process, I obtained two European privacy certifications, one as a legal expert and another as a technical expert.

I hope to use my knowledge and experience to further grow and strengthen the programs and initiatives that the NAI has already undertaken. With my strong compliance background, I will work with our team to support those efforts. I also hope to expand our reach, to help grow our organization and to show the relevance and effectiveness of our self-regulatory model.

The Makegood: Does NAI currently work with companies based abroad? Could companies based outside of the U.S. qualify as members?

Currently, we have international members whose Interest-Based Advertising (IBA) and Ad Delivery and Reporting (ADR) activities either occur in the U.S. or affect U.S. consumers. Any organization that similarly engages in online advertising activities can qualify for membership. We greatly value our international members as they play an important role in helping us stay informed about privacy developments in their home countries and help us to set policy that considers these developments. Additionally, many of our U.S. members have grown internationally and apply the high standards of the NAI Code to their global activities.

The Makegood: What is unique about your educational background?

I’m looking forward to sharing my international as well as computer science and security experience with NAI. In addition to my law degree and an undergraduate business degree in marketing, I also have a master’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s of law in Intellectual Property. The combination of business, law and technology degrees, together with practical consulting, business and law experience gives me a broad and deep knowledge base from which to draw.

The Makegood: What do you see for the future of NAI? What do you believe the company can expect for the future in terms of innovation and technology?

Last month, I attended the Second Annual NAI Summit and was blown away by our passionate and knowledgeable members, the role that we play in advancing industry best practices and meaningful solutions to issues and the overall value that we provide to both members and regulators. I left there feeling very excited and I see a bright future ahead for NAI and for our membership.

In the online advertising space, I think we’re entering into a new era for consumer-focused innovation, ranging from how advertisers can create a unified experience for consumers across devices to how information about location collected in a privacy-friendly way can enhance the online shopping experience.